Hi Big John, and welcome to the forum!

Like you, my blood sugar was completely out of control. My fasting numbers were always over 300 and when I started LC they dropped dramatically.

{Insert basic disclaimer here to talk with your doctor about this ... even LC dense, they know all about meds vs. natural BS range. My opinion is just as another diabetic who has experienced the same thing - I'm no expert!}

The first thing I'd do is watch the glipizide. The glucophage is not a problem right now, since it just makes your body more sensitive to insulin, but the hypoglycemic drugs like glipizide can send you into a coma if you're not careful. Obviously, you know what you're doing because you are checking your BS often. I would adjust the dose to match my glucose ... i.e., don't take the medication if you are in that 90-100 range.

As far as bumping your numbers up when you are too low (and what a horrible feeling that is!), eat something carb-based ... preferably low fat and low protein content. I used to keep carrots on hand for this purpose ... they're not low glycemic enough for me to use early on for 'food', and they're not included in Induction, but they were my low blood sugar emergency medicine and vastly preferable to sugar pills!

The plan was to eat 1/2 carrot, check my BS 5-10 minutes afterwards to see an upward trend. If I didn't see it, I'd eat another 1/2. (That always guarenteed a modest rise in my sugars.) As soon as the numbers started to climb back into the normal range, I'd *always* back up the carbs with protein to avoid a BS bounce effect.

The goal of most LC plans is to get our sugars steady, so even though this method may lessen your level of ketosis for a short while, it's worth it. Eventually you won't need the glipizide at all, your numbers will flatten out, and you'll be able to keep your carbs lower.

Your fingers will be sore for awhile, but it's worth it to make sure you are not getting into the scary range. Keep on poking, friend!

Good luck!